2012 NFL Draft Picks By Team: Buccaneers

Barron has a lot of things going for him as he approaches entry into the NFL Draft, and experience is certainly one of them. The safety has been a force at Alabama for four years now. He played in all 14 games as a freshman and made 18 tackles before stepping into a starting role as a sophomore in 2009. Barron has been a staple of an absolutely dominant Crimson Tide defense ever since. He led the SEC with seven interceptions that season then earned First Team All-SEC honors from both the coaches and the Associated Press in 2010. Through eight games of his senior campaign, Barron continues to lead the way--topping the team with 27 solo tackles. He has 40 total tackles (3.5 for loss) in addition to an interception and a fumble recovery.
NFL scouts will love Barron's size, as he registers at 6'2'' and 218 pounds. He has decent speed, too, generally running in the mid-4.5s in the 40-yard dash while being clocked as fast as 4.47 from that distance. Barron is a solid pass defender, but he is best at stepping into the box and playing against the run right behind the line of scrimmage. He is both a hard hitter and a sure tackler. One minor red flag is a torn pectoral muscle that hampere... [Read More]

The engine that drives the Boise State offense is not powered by quarterback Kellen Moore alone. Doug Martin is having one of the more impressive senior campaigns in the country and thus, putting himself squarely in the mix to hear his name called in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Martin is a thick back that runs low to the ground. He lacks straight ahead speed, but he accelerates into the line of scrimmage very well. His ability to move well in crowded spaces helps him a great deal. Using agility and good balance, he's able to fight for yards after contact.
NFL scouts can appreciate those qualities, but he does absorb a lot of contact (regardless of whether he goes to the ground or not). What's important is that he is always fighting toward daylight and churning his legs for yards. He runs well in open spaces since he can plant his foot and go. The Broncos don't use him a lot in their passing game, but he shows good hands.
Martin is currently pushing and competing to be the second running back drafted in the 2012 NFL Draft. He could hear his name called in the bottom half of the first round.... [Read More]

There are few weakside 4-3 linebacker prospects who find themselves pushing for first-round consideration, but with the right fit, David would make an excellent pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
He's won numerous awards in his career, ranging from first and second-team All American and even the Huskers' team defensive MVP last year. David's ability to seal the edge and excel in man-to-man coverage make him an exciting linebacker in college football. Most prospects really do well playing downhill and getting after the quarterback or can dominate when it comes to sheer athleticism, but David is already a solid contributor who can come in with little preparation and potentially start right away.
David doesn't show a lot of flash as a pass rusher at this time. Due to his average height and weight, he struggles disengaging from offensive linemen or having the top-end speed to break the corner on a blitz. What he can do is use his fluid hips in open space to keep an eye on tight ends over the middle and running backs in the flat. He's a sound tackler who rarely overplays and does well to play within his assignment.
Due to his good, but not great athleticism, some teams may opt to tak... [Read More]

West Virginia inside linebacker Najee Good is an undersized prospect who will compete for the backup spot on the Tampa Bay Bucs' depth chart. Good has nice straight line speed and fast-moving feet that take nice, short, choppy steps.
His frame is more or less maxed out, so he is close to his maximum weight. In spite of that, he ran a very good 4.64 40 yard dash at the combine. Mason Foster isn't going anywhere as the current starting MLB, but Good will come in to compete for the backup spot against Mike Balogun. He'll make his mark on special teams where he excelled in his earlier years at West Virginia. Will need to learn to play more under control when making tackles since he will often tuck his chin and lose sight of the ball carrier.
Due to his size, he can get eaten up by larger blockers and will need to use violent hands to disengage. If given a hole, he can quickly attack it downhill and get in the backfield. He possesses adequate speed to play sideline to sideline and cover running backs as well.... [Read More]

Keith Tandy is a mid-round project player playing for the West Virginia Mountaineers. He doesn't have big upside athletically, but does some things well and there is a base for him to build upon when he makes the jump into the 2012 NFL Draft.
He does best in zone coverage and prefers to open his hips up off the snap. He is fluid in his lower half and does well to change directions without losing too much speed. In man coverage, he does an average job shadowing his assignment through the route, but often struggles adjusting to the ball in the air. Tandy is sometimes caught out of position or he will take a sloppy hack at the ball. He'll need to improve his ability to swivel his head, identify the ball and make a play on it.
Tandy shows good physicality in getting after jump balls and in press coverage, but transitioning out of it can be a problem. He'll open his hips and lose inside leverage, which causes all sorts of problems as he attempts to over-correct through the route.
Fundamentals aside, Tandy has enough athleticism to be a coachable prospect in the NFL. He'll need to really buckle down and study his game, but anything is possible with a fifth or sixth round prospec... [Read More]